


Tradition

by cognomen



Series: Cognomen's List of Things that Aren't Reptiles [13]
Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Gen, M/M, Pre-Relationship, caf as a bargaining tool
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-08
Updated: 2018-03-08
Packaged: 2019-03-28 06:50:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 536
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13898613
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cognomen/pseuds/cognomen
Summary: February Ficlet Challenge, Day 13. Pairing: Poe & Leia, Prompt: Making your own TraditionsPoe doesn’t let her sit alone anymore. He fills the moments of quiet that she has; not completely but with points of contact. A report to file here, an ‘accidentally’ made extra pot of caf there.“I know what you’re doing,” Leia tells him.





	Tradition

Poe doesn’t let her sit alone anymore. He fills the moments of quiet that she has; not completely but with points of contact. A report to file here, an ‘accidentally’ made extra pot of caf there. 

“I know what you’re doing,” Leia tells him. 

“Making sure you get enough caf?” Poe asks, attempting to sound innocent about it.

Leia looks at him in clear disbelief. “Enough caf for  _ what _ ?”

“Well, to keep negotiating with other planets,” Poe says. “You know. Besides, it’s about the one ration we got away with enough of to treat like a luxury.” 

Leia looks down at the reconstituted crystallized caf, and while she clearly debates arguing with Poe about the definition of ‘luxury’ (and, as the daughter of Padme Amidala and current Princess-in-Exile of the Alderaanian people, she would know) but then she realizes that the derailment of the conversation is what Poe wants.

“Poe,” she says flatly. “I don’t need supervision.”

“What about company?” Poe tries.

Leia softens just a little, as if this was an indulgence on his behalf instead of a consideration on hers. 

“Alright,” she relents, and Poe’s learned to take victory in whatever form it presents itself. “But you can lay off the caf.”

“No,” Poe says, sitting down with her. “It’s the best excuse I have.”

“Poe, it’s terrible.”

He can’t argue that, but he can work on it.

-

He gets pretty good at telling when she’ll tolerate him and his attempts. He manages about once a week in the months after the battle on Krait, and then, when he can arrange to get ahold of better caf, he manages to convince her to set a time.

He watches as the mourning braid fades out of her hair, as the cane-assisted limp leaves her step. 

“Don’t you have better things to do with your time?” Leia asks him once, as they sit together in the evening, overlooking the base.

“Not unless you say no,” Poe says, and means it.

“Save the flirting for your boyfriend,” Leia says, but she smiles at him. 

“I don’t think that’s official yet,” Poe says, surprised that she’s noticed though of course, he shouldn’t be.

“ _ Please _ ,” Leia says, as if asking him not to underestimate her. “What are you waiting for?”

“The right time,” Poe says, though he knows it sounds lame.

“Poe Dameron,” Leia says, as if she were both disappointed and about to issue him an order. It sounds enough like a parental tone that he smiles. “Do you need him to meet your mother, or what?”

“Now  _ there’s _ an idea,” Poe jokes, hoping to divert the subject.

-

Next week, Finn is there. He looks a little sheepish sitting next to the General as if he was aware that this was a bit of theatricality intended for Poe, but he had not choice but to listen to the General.

Poe gives Finn a conspiratory glance—of course he had no choice. Leia is very convincing, when she wants to be.

“I hope you brought enough caf,” she says, brightly.

“You know,” Poe says, smiling at both of them. “I did bring a little extra.”

It becomes the new routine, and continues even after the end of the war.


End file.
